Emergency report terminal device

ABSTRACT

An on-vehicle emergency report terminal device transmits a cellular phone number of a user&#39;s cellular phone to an emergency report center in emergency event. The terminal device includes a storage section storing any data and a control section making the storage section stored the cellular phone number when the cellular phone number is fed from the user&#39;s cellular phone.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a Continuation Application of Ser. No. 10/758,221, filed on Jan.16, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT

The present invention relates to an on-vehicle emergency report terminaldevice for placing a phone call in an emergency to an emergency reportcenter via a cellular phone network in order to transfer the positionalinformation about the call originator's vehicle and establish voicecommunication to convey the information about the emergency.

Previously known, on-vehicle emergency report terminal device is used inthe event of a traffic accident or sudden illness to place a phone callvia a cellular phone network to an emergency report center automaticallyor by performing a simple manual operating procedure, transferpositional information, and request a police, fire department, or otheremergency vehicle. When such an emergency report terminal device isused, the user can establish voice communication with the emergencyreport center through the use of a cellular phone and convey theinformation about the accident. The technology used for the aboveoperation is disclosed, for instance, by Japanese Published UnexaminedPatent Application No. 2002-187510.

In the event of a traffic accident, sudden illness, or other emergency,the conventional emergency report terminal device established atelephone line connection by originating a call via a cellular phoneline. When the telephone line connection was established, theconventional emergency report terminal device performed a datacommunication process by transmitting the vehicle's unique number, theemergency report terminal device's unique number, the current positionalinformation, the date/time of current positional informationacquisition, the information about the route traveled by the vehicle,the dates/times of traveled route point recordings, the cause oftriggering an emergency report communication process, and the phonenumber (local phone number) of the cellular phone used for telephonecall origination. The local phone number is phone number data that theemergency report terminal device acquired from the cellular phone byissuing a local phone number request to the cellular phone. Theemergency report center performed an emergency report communicationprocess, for instance, by acquiring the positional information from theemergency report terminal device, and then disconnected the line. If itwas necessary to talk with the vehicle's user who performed theemergency report communication process after line disconnection, theemergency report center called the local phone number of the cellularphone, which was transmitted at the time of data communication, andestablished a voice call line connection to obtain the information aboutthe current situation. When the emergency report system described abovewas used after line disconnection to acquire the information about thesituation or request any additional information, it was able tooriginate a call to establish voice communication and collect additionalinformation because it knew the local phone number of the cellular phoneused for reporting.

However, the emergency report terminal device for the conventionalemergency report system performed an emergency report communicationprocess by use of a cellular phone that was built in the emergencyreport terminal device. Therefore, a wireless communication device wasrequired as a cellular phone that was capable of establishing datacommunication and performing a voice communication process. In addition,it was necessary to use an incoming voice channel for outputting thevoice from the cellular phone to a loudspeaker and an outgoing voicechannel for outputting the voice picked up by a microphone to thecellular phone. Further, if handsfree voice communication was to beeffected, the use of an echo cancel circuit or other voice circuit wasneeded. The use of such a voice communication circuit enlarged the sizeof the emergency report terminal device and incurred an increase in thecost. In addition, in a situation where a contract was signed with acommunications provider who provided telephone line connection forcellular phones, the service for providing both the data communicationand voice communication functions was more expensive than the servicefor providing a data communication process only. That was why thewidespread use of the emergency report system was discouraged. Further,since the cellular phone built in the emergency report terminal devicewas used for voice communication, the user had to stay in the vehicle tomaintain voice communication. If the user left the vehicle that wasendangered, the user could not maintain voice communication.

The present invention has been made to solve the foregoing conventionalproblems, and provides an emergency report terminal device and systemfor simplifying the structure of a wireless communication device thatcalls an emergency report center in an emergency report system andenabling the user to maintain voice communication with the emergencyreport center even when the user has to stay away from the user'svehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To achieve the abovementioned object, the emergency report terminaldevice according to the present invention, which is mounted in avehicle, calls an emergency report center via a cellular phone networkby performing an emergency report communication process in the event ofan emergency, transfers positional information about the vehicle, andestablishes voice communication to convey the information about theemergency. This emergency report terminal device includes built-inwireless communication means for performing the emergency reportcommunication process and control means for transmitting a phone numberof a cellular phone to the emergency report center when data istransmitted by the built-in wireless communication means. Due to thisconfiguration, the wireless communication means built in the emergencyreport terminal device need not be equipped with a voice communicationcircuit. Since the wireless communication means is simplified in thismanner, it is possible to reduce the size and cost of the emergencyreport terminal device. In addition, the contract to be signed with acellular phone communications provider can be limited to a datacommunication process. As a result, the basic charge to be paid to thecommunications provider is lower than in a case where voicecommunication is provided. Further, the emergency report center knowsthe phone number of a cellular phone possessed by the user, and cantherefore communicate with the user even when the user is away from thevehicle.

The emergency report terminal device according to the present inventionalso transfers to the emergency report center the data including thevehicle's unique number, the emergency report terminal device's uniquenumber, the current positional information, date/time of acquisition ofthe current positional information, information about a route traveledby the vehicle, dates/times of traveled routepoint recordings, andinformation about one or more causes of triggering an emergency reportcommunication process. The use of this configuration not only providesthe foregoing advantage but also enables the emergency report center toacquire the information about an accident.

In addition, the emergency report terminal device according to thepresent invention includes operating input means for acquiring the phonenumber of the abovementioned cellular phone. The use of thisconfiguration not only allows the emergency report terminal device toimmediately transmit the phone number of the cellular phone to theemergency report center in the event of an emergency, but also enablesthe emergency report center to use the phone number of the cellularphone for the purpose of directly contacting the user when it isnecessary to talk with the user to grasp the situation.

Further, the emergency report terminal device according to the presentinvention includes means for acquiring the phone number of the cellularphone when the cellular phone is connected to the emergency reportterminal device. The use of this configuration not only enables theemergency report terminal device to acquire the phone number of theuser's cellular phone, but also makes it possible to immediatelytransmit the phone number of the cellular phone to the emergency reportcenter in the event of an emergency. As a result, the emergency reportcenter can acquire the phone number of the cellular phone and directlycontact the user when it is necessary to talk with the user to grasp thesituation.

Furthermore, the emergency report terminal device according to thepresent invention includes means for notifying a user of inability toacquire the cellular phone number of the cellular phone when the phonenumber of the cellular phone cannot be acquired. The use of thisconfiguration can not only prevent the user from forgetting to registerthe cellular phone number but also prompt the user to properly registerthe user's cellular phone number.

Moreover, the present invention is an emergency report system in whichthe emergency report terminal device mounted in a vehicle performs anemergency report communication process via a cellular phone network tocall an emergency report center in the event of an emergency, transferpositional information about the vehicle, and establish voicecommunication to convey the information about the emergency. Theemergency report terminal device includes built-in wirelesscommunication means for performing the emergency report communicationprocess and control means for transmitting a phone number of a cellularphone possessed by a user in the vehicle to the emergency report centerwhen data is transmitted by the built-in wireless communication means.The emergency report center uses the phone number of the cellular phone,which is transmitted from the emergency report terminal device, to placea call to the user and establishes voice communication to obtain theinformation about a situation in which an emergency report has beenmade. The use of this configuration obviates the necessity for adding avoice communication circuit to the wireless communication means built inthe emergency report terminal device. Due to the use of simple wirelesscommunication means, it is possible to reduce the size and cost of theemergency report terminal device. Further, when the contract to besigned with a cellular phone communications provider is limited to adata communication process, the basic charge to be paid to thecommunications provider is lower than in a case where voicecommunication is provided. Furthermore, the emergency report centerknows the phone number of a cellular phone possessed by the user, andcan therefore communicate with the user even when the user is away fromthe vehicle.

As described above, the emergency report terminal device according tothe present invention is mounted in a vehicle to perform an emergencyreport communication process in the event of an emergency to transmitthe positional information about the vehicle to the emergency reportcenter via a cellular phone network, and establish voice communicationto convey the information about the encountered emergency situation. Theemergency report terminal device includes built-in wirelesscommunication means for performing the emergency report communicationprocess and control means for transmitting the phone number of thecellular phone possessed by the user in the vehicle to the emergencyreport center when data is transmitted by the built-in wirelesscommunication means. The use of the above configuration obviates thenecessity for adding a voice communication circuit to the wirelesscommunication means built in the emergency report terminal device. Sincethe wireless communication means is simplified in this manner, it ispossible to reduce the size and cost of the emergency report terminaldevice. Further, when the contract to be signed with a cellular phonecommunications provider is limited to a data communication process, thebasic charge to be paid to the communications provider is lower than ina case where voice communication is provided. Furthermore, even when thevehicle from which an emergency report has been issued is endangered andthe user has to stay away from the vehicle, an excellent. advantageprovided by the present invention makes it possible to establish propervoice communication between the user and the emergency report center.

The foregoing objects and advantages of the present invention will beapparent from the following more particular description of a preferredembodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an emergencyreport system according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an emergencyreport terminal device according to the above embodiment; and

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a sequence that is followed when theemergency report terminal device according to the above embodimentacquires a phone number from a cellular phone.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described withreference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 illustrates theconfiguration of an emergency report system according to the presentembodiment. The emergency report system includes a center system 1, anemergency report terminal device 21, which is mounted in a vehicle 2,and a cellular phone 28, which is possessed by a user in the vehicle 2.A fixed-line telephone communications provider 4 who operates andmanages a telephone line 3 and a cellular phone communications provider6 who operates and manages a cellular phone network 5 are involved inthe operation of the emergency report system.

The center system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an emergency report center thatmanages an emergency report communication process. The emergency reportcommunication process, which uses a wireless communication deviceseparate from the cellular phone 28, is performed by the emergencyreport terminal device 21. Thanks to the emergency report communicationprocess performed by the emergency report terminal device 21, relevantinformation including the unique information about the vehicle 2 and theinformation about the user is obtained to confirm that the user isregistered with the emergency report system. Further, the positionalinformation transmitted from the vehicle 2 identifies the location atwhich the emergency report communication process was performed. Inaddition, the phone number of the user's cellular phone 28, which istransmitted from the vehicle 2, is acquired to establish voicecommunication via the cellular phone 28 for the purpose of obtaining theinformation about the emergency situation that the user is in. As aresult, the information about an accident is obtained to transmit anappropriate rescue request to a police department, fire department, orother rescue organization. The cellular phone communications provider 6provides and operates a cellular phone service. More specifically, thecellular phone communications provider 6 dials a call from the cellularphone to a target telephone terminal or from the target telephoneterminal to the cellular phone to establish a connection to the cellularphone network 5, and provides a service for distributing data andestablishing voice communication. The fixed-line telephonecommunications provider 4 provides and operates a telephone callservice. More specifically, the fixed-line telephone communicationsprovider 4 establishes a line connection by dialing a call from acertain telephone terminal or the telephone line 3 to a target telephoneterminal, and provides a service for data distribution and voicecommunication.

In the center system 1, the telephone 101 is a device that uses thetelephone line 3 to dial a call or receive an incoming call andestablishes voice communication with the telephone line 3 connected.Upon receipt of an emergency report communication, the operator of thecenter system 1 acquires the phone number of the user's cellular phone28, which is transmitted from the emergency report terminal device 21,and performs a dialing process with the telephone 101 to call the user'scellular phone 28. The operator of the center system 1 can obtain theinformation about the accident, personal injury, and property damage byestablishing voice communication with the user via the cellular phone28. The center terminal 102 is an operating control terminal device foroperating the center system 1. In response to an emergency report callprocess that the emergency report terminal device 21 performed using awireless communication device other than the cellular phone 28, thecenter terminal 102 performs an incoming call/telephone line connectionprocess, plots the vehicle's location on an electronic map in accordancewith the positional information, which is transmitted from the emergencyreport terminal device 21 at the time of line connection establishment,and conveys the vehicle's positional information to the operator whooperates the center terminal 102. The modem 103 is a communicationdevice for performing a data modulation/demodulation process andestablishing data communication via the telephone line 3. The database104 is a storage device for storing nationwide electronic mapinformation as well as the information about subscribers to a serviceoperated by the center system 1. The stored subscriber informationindicates the relationship between a vehicle registration number, whichis transmitted from the vehicle 2, and the vehicle type, vehicle color,registrant, and other relevant information. When an incoming call isfrom a registered emergency report terminal device 21, the databasedinformation can be searched in accordance with the device's registrationnumber to retrieve the associated information including the vehicle'sregistration number, vehicle type, vehicle color, and registrant.

FIG. 2 illustrates the configuration of the emergency report terminaldevice 21 according to the present embodiment. When an airbag built inthe vehicle 2 inflates due, for instance, to a traffic accident or anemergency signal button in the. vehicle 2 is pressed in the event of theuser's sudden illness, the emergency report terminal device 21 performsan emergency report communication process in relation to the centersystem 1 and transmits relevant information such as the positional andother information about the vehicle 2. The cellular phone 28 is a mobilephone terminal device that is not only used by the user for ordinarypurposes, but also used to establish voice communication during theemergency report communication process. The phone number of the cellularphone 28 is acquired when the user operates a remote controller 30 toenter the phone number or automatically acquired when the cellular phone28 is connected to the emergency report terminal device 21 via awireless or hard-wired circuit. In the latter case, cellular phonenumber acquisition takes place when the emergency report terminal device21 transmits a local phone number request signal and the cellular phone28 transmits its local phone number in response to the request signal.When a hard-wired connection is used, the asynchronous serial signal isgenerally used.

The wireless communication antenna 20 is a transmission/receptionantenna that provides radio signal transmission/reception when awireless communication section 201 performs a telephonetransmission/reception process. The GPS antenna 22 receives informationthat is transmitted from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite.The vehicle speed signal generator 23 calculates the current vehiclespeed in accordance with a signal output from a wheel-mounted sensor,which transmits the number of revolutions per unit time, wheel diameter,and other information. A pulse sensor is mounted on the vehicle's wheel.A pulse is generated whenever the wheel rotates by a predefined amount.The distance traveled can be calculated from the number of generatedpulses, that is, the number of revolutions per unit time. The vehiclespeed can be calculated from the number of revolutions per unit time.The loudspeaker 24 is a device that receives an electrical signal inputand then converts it to a sound by vibrating the air. The LED 25includes a light-emitting diode and emits a green, red, or other lightdepending on the employed substance. The characteristics of the LED areutilized so that the LED conveys the status information about theemergency report terminal device 21 to the user. The airbag sensor 26 isan impact sensor, which outputs a control signal for inflating theairbag when it detects an impact (acceleration) greater than predefined.The emergency signal button 27 is to be pressed when, for instance, theuser needs a rescue organization's rescue due to a sudden illness. Whenthe emergency signal button 27 is pressed, the emergency report terminaldevice 21 senses such a press and proceeds to perform an emergencyreport communication process. In general, the signal output from theemergency signal button 27 is either Low or High so that the ON or OFFstate is detected. Different midpoint voltages are generated dependingon whether the emergency signal button 27 is pressed or not. Therefore,if a voltage other than the midpoint voltages is generated due, forinstance, to a short or open, it can be concluded that an abnormalityexists. Consequently, it is possible to incorporate a function fordetecting a failure in the emergency signal button 27. The battery 29 isa storage battery that supplies power to various components of thevehicle. While the vehicle is running the engine, the alternator chargesthe battery 29. Therefore, the battery 29 can continuously supply powerto the vehicle. The remote controller 30 is equipped with numeric keysfor phone number input as well as some other operating control keys. Ituses infrared rays to transmit signals. The remote controller lightreceptor 209 receives infrared signals from the remote controller 30 andcan register the phone number of the cellular phone 28 in a storagesection 207 via a control section 202.

The wireless communication section 201 is a wireless communicationdevice that is built in the emergency report terminal device 21, whichuses a cellular phone network. The wireless communication section 201dials a call to the center system 1 at the time of an emergency reportcommunication process. When a telephone line connection is established,the wireless communication section 201 performs a data communicationprocess to transmit the information about the vehicle 2. Some recentlyused mobile wireless communication devices provide both voicecommunication and data communication while the others provide datacommunication only. Since the latter type, which provides datacommunication only, is without a voice circuit, it is relatively smallin size and at an advantage in that the communication service charge islow. The wireless communication section 201 according to the presentembodiment is of the latter type.

The control section 202 is a control circuit that provides overallcontrol over the emergency report terminal device 21. The controlsection 202 mainly includes a CPU. Upon receipt of a signal indicatingthe inflation of the airbag from the airbag sensor 26 or the press ofthe emergency signal button 27, the control section 202 performs anemergency report communication process. The emergency reportcommunication process exercises line connection control over thewireless communication section 201. When the line connection isestablished, the emergency report communication process exercisescontrol for transmitting the vehicle information and the local phonenumber information, which is fed from the cellular phone 28, to thecenter system 1.

A positional information generation circuit 203 is a computation circuitthat acquires various items of information including satelliteinformation from the GPS antenna 22, speed information from the vehiclespeed signal generator 23, and angular speed information from a gyrosensor 204, and performs a process for calculating the current location.The gyro sensor 204 is a sensor that calculates the angular speed. Aloudspeaker sound control section 205 is an audio playback circuit thatincludes an audio playback ROM, which outputs a signal for ensuring thata preset message is heard on the loudspeaker 24, and a loudspeakeramplifier. The audio data about audible preset messages are recordedbeforehand in the loudspeaker sound control section 205. In compliancewith the instructions issued by the control section 202, the loudspeakersound control section 205 performs a process for generating an audiblepreset message for the purpose of conveying the emergency report state,failure state, and other status information about the emergency reportterminal device 21 to the user. An illumination control section 206 is acontrol circuit that exercises illumination/extinguishment control overthe LED 25. The LED 25 illuminates when a predefined voltage is appliedto it. When an illumination control signal is entered under control ofthe control section 202, the illumination control section 206illuminates the LED 25 by applying a predefined voltage to it. Thestorage section 207 is a memory device that records various items ofinformation including the operation/failure status information about theemergency report terminal device 21 and the information required for CPUcontrol. This memory device includes a flash memory or other nonvolatilememory and an SRAM or other volatile memory. The storage section 207stores not only a CPU control program and variables necessary forprogram start up, but also various other items of information such asthe positional information about the vehicle 2, which is collected on aperiodic basis, the phone number acquired from the user's cellular phone28, and the communication history of emergency report communicationprocess executions relative to the center system 1. Since the history ofinformation receptions and other communications is stored in thenonvolatile memory, it is retained even after the storage section 207 isremoved from the vehicle with the power supply shutoff. Therefore, itcan be effectively used, for instance, for future information analysis.The power supply control section 208 generates power supply voltagesnecessary for the control section 202 and other circuits from the powersupplied from the battery 29, and performs a power supply operation.

The operation performed in the present embodiment will now be describedwith reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. As indicated in FIG. 2, the battery 29supplies power to the emergency report terminal device 21 as well as theother electrical devices in the vehicle. The power supply controlsection 208 receives a power supply voltage from the battery 29, lowersit to the operating voltages for the internal circuits of the emergencyreport terminal device 21, and supplies such lowered voltages to theinternal circuits. The person in the vehicle first transmits the phonenumber of his/her cellular phone to the remote controller light receptor209 by operating the remote controller 30. The control section 202 thenregisters the phone number in the storage section 207. An alternative isto establish a hard-wired or wireless connection, as described later,between the cellular phone 28 and control section 202 and perform acommunication process between them to register the phone number in thestorage section 207. The control section 202 monitors the states of theairbag sensor 26 and emergency signal button 27 to prepare for anemergency report communication process that is to be performed when theairbag sensor 26 outputs a control signal for airbag inflation or theemergency signal button 27 is pressed.

Under normal conditions in which neither the emergency reportcommunication process nor theft report process is performed, theemergency report terminal device 21 performs a process for periodicallygenerating the positional information about the vehicle and storing it.The control section 202 periodically transmits a positional informationrequest signal to the positional information generation circuit 203. Inaccordance with the C/A code and P code acquired from a GPS satellite,the positional information generation circuit 203 acquires almanac data,ephemeris data, GPS time information, ionization correction parameters,and other data to calculate the satellite start up information, timeinformation, and radio wave propagation delay time and determine thecurrent location. Further, the positional information generation circuit203 acquires an angular speed signal from the gyro sensor 204 and aspeed signal from the vehicle speed signal generator 23 to calculate therelative displacement position and accurately determine the currentlocation. The positional information generation circuit 203 outputs thecurrent location data to the control section 202. The control section202 records the acquired positional information in the storage section207. When a certain amount of positional information is stored, thecontrol section 202 erases the oldest positional information andcontinues to perform a process for recording the latest positionalinformation. It is therefore possible to obtain the positionalinformation about locations between the current location and a pastlocation (travel history).

While a process for recording the latest positional information is beingcontinuously performed, the emergency report terminal device 21 performsan emergency report communication process if it receives a signalindicating that the emergency signal button 27 is pressed by the user orreceives a signal input from the airbag sensor 26, which indicates thatthe airbag is inflated. The control section 202 acquires the phonenumber of the emergency report center from the storage section 207 anduses the acquired phone number to perform a dialing process from thewireless communication section 201. The wireless communication section201 performs a dialing process to call the center system 1 via thecellular phone communications provider 6 and fixed-line telephonecommunications provider 4.

The information transmitted from the emergency report terminal device 21is received by the cellular phone communications provider 6 and enteredinto the modem 103 of the center system 1 via the fixed-line telephonecommunications provider 4. The modem 103 outputs a signal to indicatethat an incoming phone call is received at the center terminal 102. Uponreceipt of the incoming call, the center terminal 102 performs atelephone line connection process to establish a telephone lineconnection between the modem 103 and emergency report terminal device21. Upon telephone line connection verification, the emergency reportterminal device 21 transmits various items of information including thecall origination conditions for the emergency report communicationprocess, the registration information about the vehicle 2, theregistration information about the emergency report terminal device 21,the current positional information, the past travel history, and thephone number of the cellular phone possessed by the user. The centerterminal 102 acquires the information from the vehicle 2 via the modem103. The center terminal 102 uses the registration information about thevehicle 2 and emergency report terminal device 21, which is transmittedfrom the emergency report terminal device 21, to search the database104. If the information is registered in the database, the centerterminal 102 determines, for instance, the name of the registrant,vehicle type, and vehicle color from the registered information.Further, the center terminal 102 acquires the map information about anarea around the current location from the database 104 in addition tothe current positional information and the information about the historyof past travels, and displays the acquired map, the current location,and the plotted information about the travel history on the screen. Theoperator can determine the route traveled by the vehicle 2, whichtransmitted an emergency report, and the current location of the vehicle2 by viewing the on-screen map.

The center system 1 dials the phone number of the user's cellular phone28, which is transmitted from the emergency report terminal device 21,to acquire various information including the description of theaccident, the number of persons affected by a sudden illness, and thenumber of injured persons. This telephone call origination process isperformed by the operator of the center system 1. The operator views thedisplay for the center terminal 102 to confirm the phone number forcommunication and performs dialing procedure at the telephone 101 tooriginate a call. An alternative is to let the center terminal 102originate a call remotely and make a connection to the telephone 101.The operator of the center system 1 can establish voice communicationwith the user via the telephone 101 and cellular phone 28 to obtainvarious information including the description of the accident and thenumber of injured persons. The operator can convey various information,including the current location of the vehicle 2, which transmitted anemergency report, the description of the accident, and the number ofinjured persons, to a police department, fire department, or otherrescue organization with a view toward initiating prompt rescueactivities.

While the above emergency report is being made, the emergency reportterminal device 21 uses the loudspeaker 24 and LED 25 to convey thedescriptive information about the accident to the user. The user istherefore informed of the contents of the emergency report. The controlsection 202 issues instructions for preset message output to theloudspeaker sound control section 205. The loudspeaker sound controlsection 205 inputs the instructions for preset message output andexercises control for causing the loudspeaker 24 to generate an audiblemessage. For example, the generated audible message may indicate that adialing process is being performed to call the center system 1, indicatethat a data communication process is being performed with the lineconnection to the center system 1 established, or indicate that theinitiation of voice communication is to be awaited after completion ofthe data communication process. The emergency report terminal device 21can selectively generate an appropriate audible message depending on thesituation, thereby allowing the user to acquire detailed informationabout the situation. In a situation where information is to betransmitted to indicate that the initiation of voice communication isawaited, an audible message can be generated to indicate that the centersystem 1 places a phone call to the user's phone number. This enablesthe user to switch to an incoming call wait state and proceed toestablish proper voice communication. The control section 202 alsooutputs a steady/blinking light control signal for the LED 25 to theillumination control section 206. Before an emergency report is made,steady green light is emitted to indicate an ongoing operation. When anemergency report communication process starts, however, the steady greenlight turns to blinking green light to indicate that the emergencyreport communication process is being performed.

Cellular phone number registration from the cellular phone 28 will nowbe described. With a hard-wired or wireless connection establishedbetween the emergency report terminal device 21 and cellular phone 28,the emergency report terminal device 21 outputs a signal that requeststhe phone number of the cellular phone 28. In response to the requestsignal, the cellular phone 28 transmits its phone number (local phonenumber). The emergency report terminal device 21 then acquires the phonenumber of the cellular phone 28 and registers it in the storage section207. In general, a hard-wired connection is established between theemergency report terminal device 21 and cellular phone 28. In thisinstance, a serial signal is used for request signal output and localphone number acquisition. If, on the other hand, a wireless connectionis used instead of a hard-wired connection, various processes includingthose for connection verification and negotiation are first performed toverify that the wireless connection is established, and then theprocesses including those for phone number request and local phonenumber acquisition are performed. Wireless communication can beestablished by use of the IrDA, Bluetooth, or other wirelesscommunication technology.

FIG. 3 shows a typical process that the emergency report terminal device21 performs to acquire the phone number from the cellular phone 28. Whenthe user goes into the accessory power supply state or the ignitionpower supply state in order to start the engine, the control section 202outputs a signal to the cellular phone 28 in order to request the localphone number with the connection to the emergency report terminal device21 established. The emergency report terminal device 21 transmits aconfirmation signal (connection confirmation signal) to the cellularphone 28 in order to check whether the line connection is established.Upon receipt of the confirmation signal, the cellular phone 28 returns aresponse signal ACK, which indicates that the confirmation signal isreceived normally. The emergency report terminal device 21 then verifiesthat the cellular phone 28 is connected. If the emergency reportterminal device 21 does not receive ACK, it performs a retry operationto continue with the connection verification process. If the lineconnection is not established through a predetermined number of retriesor for a predetermined period of time, it is concluded that anabnormality exists. Such an abnormality is then reported to the user,for instance, by causing the LED 25 to perform a steadyillumination/blinking process or the loudspeaker 24 to perform a soundgeneration process. It is preferred, for example, that the LED 25 emit ared blinking light for abnormality indication. The loudspeaker 24generates an audible message that prompts for the connection of thecellular phone 28 or indicates the failure to establish the normalconnection for the purpose of notifying the user that the cellular phone28 cannot normally be connected. When the connection is verifiednormally, the emergency report terminal device 21 outputs a signal torequest the local phone number of the cellular phone 28. Since thecellular phone 28 uses serial communication or other similar means totransmit the local phone number, the emergency report terminal device 21can transmit the local phone number to the center system 1 during anemergency report communication process. If the emergency report terminaldevice 21 cannot normally acquire the local phone number or the acquiredphone number contains an excessively large or small number of digits oris otherwise abnormal, the LED 25 and loudspeaker 24 are used to notifythe user of such an abnormality. When the local phone number isacquired, the emergency report terminal device 21 records the acquiredlocal phone number in the storage section 207 and performs a process fortransmitting the local phone number during the emergency reportcommunication process. When, for instance, the vehicle power is turnedON, the emergency report terminal device 21 performs a local phonenumber acquisition process and stores the local phone number of thecellular phone 28. The emergency report terminal device 21 retains theacquired local phone number until the power turns OFF. When theemergency report terminal device 21 performs the emergency reportcommunication process, it transmits the local phone number to the centersystem 1.

The advantages provided by the foregoing embodiment of the presentinvention will now be described. The emergency report terminal deviceaccording to the present invention transmits the vehicle's uniquenumber, the emergency report terminal device's unique number, thecurrent positional information, the date/time of current positionalinformation acquisition, the information about the route traveled by thevehicle, the dates/times of traveled route point recordings, and theemergency report communication process at the time of data transferduring the emergency report communication process. It is thereforepossible to determine the vehicle from which the information about atraffic accident or sudden illness was reported, the owner of thevehicle, and the location of emergency report transmission. In addition,the data about a phone number other than that of the telephone used forplacing a call to the emergency report center is transferred to theemergency report center so that the emergency report center can call thetransferred other phone number to obtain the information about personsaffected by a sudden illness, the number of injured persons, and thedescriptions of injuries and accident. As a result, smooth andappropriate rescue activities can be conducted. Further, as theabovementioned other phone number, the phone number of the user'scellular phone can be determined by operating the user's operatingcontrol buttons to perform a phone number input process for the cellularphone possessed by the user or by performing a local phone numberacquisition process for the user's cellular phone with a hard-wired orwireless connection made to the cellular phone. This makes it possibleto obtain the phone number of the user's cellular phone. The emergencyreport center dials a call to the phone number of the cellular phone toproperly establish voice communication with the user who made anemergency report. In addition, it is not necessary to add a voicecommunication circuit to a wireless communication device or emergencyreport terminal device mounted in the vehicle. Since the employedcircuit is simplified in this manner, it is possible to reduce the sizeand cost of the emergency report terminal device. Further, when thecontract to be signed with a cellular phone communications provider islimited to a data communication process, the basic charge to be paid tothe communications provider is lower than in a case where voicecommunication is provided. Furthermore, even when the user leaves thevehicle due to a certain circumstance, the emergency report center canestablish voice communication with the user.

The emergency report terminal device according to the present inventionalso transfers to the emergency report center the data including thedata about a phone number other than that is used for the emergencyreport call origination process as well as the vehicle's unique number,the emergency report terminal device's unique number, the currentpositional information, the date/time of current positional informationacquisition, the information about the route traveled by the vehicle,the dates/times of traveled route point recordings, and the informationabout one or more causes of triggering an emergency report communicationprocess. A wireless communication device for performing the emergencyreport communication process is mounted in the vehicle to perform anemergency report process instantly in the event of an emergency andtransmit the vehicle's unique number and the emergency report terminaldevice's unique number. Therefore, the vehicle from which the emergencyreport was transmitted can be identified. Further, the positionalinformation and other information are transmitted so that the vehicle'slocation can be identified. Furthermore, when the emergency reportcenter needs to obtain the detailed information about the accident andsudden illness, a telephone call can be placed to the cellular phonepossessed by the user to establish voice communication and acquire theinformation about the emergency. In addition, the wireless communicationdevice and emergency report terminal device mounted in the vehicleincorporate a data communication function only. As the system issimplified in this manner, it is possible to reduce the size and cost ofthe system. Further, the wireless communication device mounted in thevehicle can be limited to a data communication service by means of acontract so that the basic charge to be paid to the communicationsprovider is lower than in a case where voice communication is provided.

The emergency report terminal device according to the present inventionalso transmits the phone number data entered from the outside of theemergency report terminal device to the emergency report center. Sincethe emergency report terminal device is equipped with an input section,the user can enter the phone number of a cellular phone, if it ispossessed by the user, to perform an emergency report call originationprocess and send a request to a rescue organization. When the emergencyreport center is to establish voice communication in order to obtain theinformation about the emergency, it is possible to obtain theinformation about the emergency situation by directly calling the user'scellular phone, which is a device other than the wireless communicationdevice used for emergency report transmission.

Further, the emergency report terminal device according to the presentinvention is such that the user preregisters a phone number andtransmits the data about the phone number to the emergency reportcenter. Since means for registering the phone number of a cellular phonebefore emergency report transmission is provided, the user can enter thephone number of a cellular phone, if it is possessed by the user, whilethe user is in the vehicle or in some other normal state. When the usersends a request to a rescue organization during an emergency report callorigination process, the user does not have to state the phone number ina chaotic situation prevalent at the time of emergency reporting.Further, when the emergency report center establishes voicecommunication to obtain the information about the emergency, theemergency report center can acquire the information about the emergencysituation by directly calling the preregistered cellular phone of theuser.

The emergency report terminal device according to the present inventionalso includes data input means for allowing the user to enter a phonenumber. Since an input section and a function for preregistering a phonenumber are incorporated, the user can enter the phone number of acellular phone in advance, if it is possessed by the user, while theuser is in the vehicle or in some other normal state. When the usersends a request to a rescue organization during an emergency report callorigination process, the user does not have to enter the phone number ina chaotic situation prevalent at the time of emergency reporting.Further, when the emergency report center establishes voicecommunication to obtain the information about the emergency, theemergency report center can acquire the information about the emergencysituation by directly calling the preregistered cellular phone of theuser.

The emergency report terminal device according to the present invention,which performs an emergency report communication process, also includesmeans for acquiring the phone number of a cellular phone possessed bythe user and transmits the data about the user's cellular phone and itsphone number to the emergency report center. Since the means foracquiring the phone number of a cellular phone possessed by the user isincorporated, the emergency report terminal device performs a processfor acquiring the phone number of a cellular phone, if it is possessedby the user. This ensures that when an emergency report call originationprocess is performed to send a request to a rescue organization, theuser does not have to enter the phone number and perform a phone numbernotification process in a chaotic situation prevalent at the time ofemergency reporting. Further, when the emergency report center is toestablish voice communication to obtain the information about theemergency, the emergency report center can acquire the phone number ofthe user's cellular phone and perform a call origination process toestablish voice communication for the purpose of obtaining theinformation about the emergency situation.

The emergency report terminal device according to the present invention,which performs an emergency report communication process, also includesmeans for detecting the connection of a cellular phone of the user andacquiring the phone number of the cellular phone, and transmits the dataabout the recorded phone number to the emergency report center after thecellular phone number is acquired during an emergency reportcommunication process. When a hard-wired or wireless connection is madeto a telephone possessed by the user and means for acquiring the phonenumber of the user's cellular phone is incorporated, the emergencyreport terminal device performs a process for acquiring the phone numberof a cellular phone, if it is possessed by the user. This ensures thatwhen an emergency report call origination process is performed to send arequest to a rescue organization, the user does not have to enter thephone number and perform a phone number notification process in achaotic situation prevalent at the time of emergency reporting. Further,when the emergency report center is to establish voice communication toobtain the information about the emergency, the emergency report centercan acquire the information about the emergency situation by performinga call origination process to dial the phone number of the user'scellular phone.

The emergency report terminal device according to the present invention,which performs an emergency report communication process, also acquiresa phone number from a cellular phone when the vehicle's accessory poweror ignition power turns ON. When the user carries a cellular phone intothe vehicle and turns ON the vehicle's accessory power and ignitionpower to start the engine, the hard-wired or wireless connection to thecellular phone is verified and a phone number acquisition process isperformed. Since the phone number is already acquired at the time ofpower turn-ON, the user does not have to enter and transmit the phonenumber in a chaotic situation prevalent at the time of emergencyreporting when an emergency report call origination process is performedto send a request to a rescue organization. Further, when the emergencyreport center is to establish voice communication to obtain theinformation about the emergency, the emergency report center can acquirethe information about the emergency situation by performing a callorigination process to dial the phone number of the user's cellularphone.

The emergency report terminal device according to the present invention,which performs an emergency report communication process, also acquiresa phone number from a cellular phone when the vehicle becomes ready formoving or begins to move. When the user carries a cellular phone intothe vehicle and begins to move the vehicle, the hard-wired or wirelessconnection to the cellular phone is verified and a phone numberacquisition process is performed. Since the phone number is alreadyacquired when the vehicle begins to move, the user does not have toenter and transmit the phone number in a chaotic situation prevalent atthe time of emergency reporting when an emergency report callorigination process is performed to send a request to a rescueorganization. Further, when the emergency report center is to establishvoice communication to obtain the information about the emergency, theemergency report center can acquire the information about the emergencysituation by performing a call origination process to dial the phonenumber of the user's cellular phone.

The emergency report terminal device according to the present invention,which performs an emergency report communication process, also acquiresa phone number from a cellular phone when an emergency reportcommunication process starts. When the user carries a cellular phoneinto the vehicle, the hard-wired or wireless connection to the cellularphone is verified. Further, when an emergency report call originationprocess is performed to send a request to a rescue organization, theemergency report terminal device performs a process for acquiring aphone number from the cellular phone that is carried into the vehicle bythe user. As a result, the user does not have to enter and transmit thephone number in a chaotic situation prevalent at the time of emergencyreporting. In addition, when the emergency report center is to establishvoice communication to obtain the information about the emergency, theemergency report center can acquire the information about the emergencysituation by performing a call origination process to dial the phonenumber of the user's cellular phone.

The emergency report terminal device according to the present invention,which performs an emergency report communication process, also achievesdata acquisition to acquire the data about a phone number from theuser's, cellular phone while the cellular phone is connected with aconducting wire to a device that performs the emergency reportcommunication process. When, for instance, the cellular phone carriedinto the vehicle by the user is hard-wire connected, the vehicle's poweris turned ON, or the emergency report communication process isinitiated, the process for acquiring the phone number from the cellularphone is performed. Therefore, the user does not have to enter andtransmit the phone number in a chaotic situation prevalent at the timeof emergency reporting. Further, when the emergency report center is toestablish voice communication to obtain the information about theemergency, the emergency report center can acquire the phone number ofthe user's cellular phone, which is hard-wire connected, and obtain theinformation about the emergency situation by performing a callorigination process to dial the phone number.

The emergency report terminal device according to the present invention,which performs an emergency report communication process, also achievesdata acquisition to acquire the data about a phone number from theuser's cellular phone while the cellular phone is wirelessly connectedto a device that performs the emergency report communication process.When, for instance, the cellular phone carried into the vehicle by theuser is wirelessly connected, the vehicle's power is turned ON, or theemergency report communication process is initiated, the process foracquiring the phone number from the cellular phone is performed.Therefore, the user does not have to enter and transmit the phone numberin a chaotic situation prevalent at the time of emergency reporting.Further, when the emergency report center is to establish voicecommunication to obtain the information about the emergency, theemergency report center can acquire the phone number of the user'scellular phone, which is wirelessly connected, and obtain theinformation about the emergency situation by performing a callorigination process to dial the phone number.

The emergency report terminal device according to the present inventionalso includes means for notifying the user of the inability to acquire aphone number from the user's cellular phone if such a phone numbercannot be acquired. If the mounted wireless communication device andemergency report terminal device are without a voice communicationcircuit or if the contract signed with a communications provider doesnot provide voice communication during the use of a cellular phone, datacommunication can be effected, for instance, to transmit positionalinformation, but no voice communication can be established. Therefore,the user is notified that the cellular phone is not connected. As aresult, if, for instance, the user inadvertently leaves the cellularphone unconnected, the user can be prompted to connect the cellularphone for the purpose of properly establishing voice communication withthe emergency report center at the time of emergency reporting.

If a phone number cannot be acquired from the user's cellular phone, theemergency report terminal device according to the present inventionnotifies the user of the inability to acquire a phone number from theuser's cellular phone by performing at least one of a beep generation,preset audible message generation, or other sound generation process, anLED steady/blinking light emission process, and an LCD-based displayprocess. If the mounted wireless communication device and emergencyreport terminal device are without a voice communication circuit or ifthe contract signed with a communications provider does not providevoice communication during the use of a cellular phone, datacommunication can be effected, for instance, to transmit positionalinformation, but no voice communication can be established. Therefore, abeep generation, preset audible message generation, or other soundgeneration process, an LED steady/blinking light emission process, or anLCD-based display process is performed to notify the user that thecellular phone is not connected. As a result, if, for instance, the userinadvertently leaves the cellular phone unconnected, the user can beprompted to connect the cellular phone for the purpose of properlyestablishing voice communication with the emergency report center at thetime of emergency reporting.

The emergency report system according to the present invention includesan emergency report terminal device for transmitting positionalinformation and other data to an emergency report center in the event ofa traffic accident or sudden illness, the user's cellular phone forestablishing voice communication in response to an incoming phone callfrom an emergency report center, and an emergency report center fordetermining the situation according to the positional informationtransmitted from the emergency report terminal device and the contentsof voice communication, and requesting a rescue organization to dispatcha rescue vehicle. The emergency report terminal device, which isincluded in the system configuration, incorporates a function foracquiring the phone number of a cellular phone possessed by the user andis constructed without a voice circuit in order to reduce the size andcost. The emergency report center, which is also included in the systemconfiguration, identifies the contents of the data transmitted from theemergency report terminal device, determines the phone number of theuser's cellular phone, which is included in the transmitted data, andperforms a call origination process to establish voice communication forthe purpose of acquiring the information about the emergency situation.As regards voice communication, a system based on the user's cellularphone can be configured. As a result, it is possible to reduce the sizeand cost of the emergency report terminal device. In addition, the costto be paid by the user can be decreased because the contract to besigned with a communications provider can be limited to datacommunication.

In the event of a traffic accident or sudden illness, the emergencyreport terminal device within the emergency report system according tothe present invention transmits to the emergency report center the phonenumber of a wireless communication device other than that is used toperform the emergency report communication process. The emergency reportcenter performs a call origination process by use of the transmittedphone number of the other wireless communication device, and establishesvoice communication with the user to obtain the information about theaccident or other emergency. The emergency report terminal device, whichis included in the system configuration, incorporates a function foracquiring the phone number of a cellular phone possessed by the user andis constructed without a voice circuit in order to reduce the size andcost. The emergency report center, which is also included in the systemconfiguration, identifies the contents of the data transmitted from theemergency report terminal device, determines the phone number of theuser's cellular phone, which is included in the transmitted data, andperforms a call origination process to establish voice communication forthe purpose of acquiring the information about the emergency situation.As regards voice communication, a system based on the user's cellularphone can be configured. As a result, it is possible to reduce the sizeand cost of the emergency report terminal device. In addition, the costto be paid by the user can be decreased because the contract to besigned with a communications provider can be limited to datacommunication.

Furthermore, the emergency report system according to the presentinvention includes a wireless communication device, which performs acall origination process with a cellular phone network at the time ofemergency report communication processing; a cellular phone possessed bythe user; an emergency report terminal device, which acquires a phonenumber from the cellular phone, stores the acquired phone number,performs a call origination process to call an emergency report centerwith the wireless communication device at the time of emergency reportcommunication processing, and transmits the acquired phone number of theuser's cellular phone to the emergency report center upon lineconnection establishment; and the emergency report center, whichdetermines the vehicle's location from positional information acquiredfrom the emergency report terminal device, performs a call originationprocess to call the acquired phone number of the user 's cellular phone,and establishes voice communication to obtain the information about thesituation. Consequently, the emergency report terminal device, which isincluded in the system configuration, acquires the phone number of thecellular phone possessed by the user and is constructed without a voicecircuit in order to reduce the size and cost. The emergency reportcenter, which is also included in the system configuration, identifiesthe contents of the data transmitted from the emergency report terminaldevice, determines the phone number of the user's cellular phone, whichis included in the transmitted data, and performs a call originationprocess to establish voice communication for the purpose of acquiringthe information about the emergency situation. As regards voicecommunication, a system based on the user's cellular phone can beconfigured. As a result, it is possible to reduce the size and cost ofthe emergency report terminal device. In addition, the cost to be paidby the user can be decreased because the contract to be signed with acommunications provider can be limited to data communication.

As described above, the emergency report terminal device according tothe present invention uses simplified wireless communication means toreduce the size and cost. Further, even when the vehicle from which anemergency report has been transmitted is endangered and the user has tostay away from the vehicle, the emergency report terminal device canestablish proper voice communication between the user and the emergencyreport center.

While the present invention has been described in conjunction with apreferred embodiment that is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,it should be understood that modifications will become apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art and that such modifications are intended tobe included within the scope of the invention and the following claims.

1. An on-vehicle emergency report terminal device for transmitting acellular phone number of a user's cellular phone to an emergency reportcenter in emergency event, comprising: a storage section storing anydata; and a control section making the storage section stored thecellular phone number when the cellular phone number is fed from theuser's cellular phone.
 2. An on-vehicle emergency report terminal deviceaccording to claim 1, further comprising means for notifying anabnormality when the cellular phone number cannot be stored in thestorage section.
 3. An on-vehicle emergency report terminal device fortransmitting a cellular phone number of a user's cellular phone to anemergency report center in emergency event, comprising: a storagesection storing any data; and a control section making the storagesection stored the cellular phone number when the cellular phone numberis connected by wire or wireless.
 4. An on-vehicle emergency reportterminal device according to claim 3, further comprising means fornotifying an abnormality when the cellular phone number cannot be storedin the storage section.
 5. An on-vehicle emergency report terminaldevice for transmitting a cellular phone number of a user's cellularphone to an emergency report center in emergency event, comprising: astorage section storing any data; and a control section making thestorage section stored the cellular phone number when the cellular phonenumber is input by a user.
 6. An on-vehicle emergency report terminaldevice according to claim 5, further comprising means for notifying anabnormality when the cellular phone number cannot be stored in thestorage section.